North African Chicken Stew (Slow Cooker)

Makes 4 servings

With this stew, you can enjoy the flavors of North African cuisine without having to go to an exotic grocery store to buy the ingredients. Ladle it over couscous and serve it with some warm flatbread to soak up the savory sauce.

Minimum 4-quart slow cooker

11⁄2  lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces  750 g
11⁄2  tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice  22 mL

1 tsp ground cumin 5 mL

1⁄2 tsp ground allspice 2 mL

1⁄2  tsp cayenne pepper  2 mL

2  cloves garlic, minced

1  red onion, chopped

1  butternut or other winter squash, peeled and cubed (about 6 cups/1.5 L)                 

2  cups cooked or canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed  500 mL

1⁄2  cup chicken broth  125 mL

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4  green onions, chopped

Hot cooked couscous

Chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

4  lemon slices

1.  Place chicken in slow cooker stoneware. Drizzle with lemon juice and toss chicken to coat.

2.  In a small bowl, combine cumin, allspice and cayenne. Sprinkle over chicken. Arrange garlic, red onion, squash and chickpeas on top. Pour in broth.

3.  Cover and cook on Low for 5 to 7 hours or on High for 21⁄2 to 4 hours, until chicken is no longer pink inside. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

4.  Add green onions. Cover and cook on High for 10 minutes.

5.  Ladle over couscous and garnish each serving with cilantro and lemon slices.

Tips

You can add a little more heat to this recipe by increasing the amount of cayenne pepper. Or you can add some hot sauce at the end of the cooking time, if you prefer to taste the level of heat before adding extra spice.

Look for precut fresh squash in the produce department of your supermarket. It will save a lot of preparation time, since the peel and seeds have already been removed. Simply cut it into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes.

Get more Slow Cooker recipes in Slow Cooker Winners / Canada's Slow Cooker Winners

Donna-Marie Pye

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